


The Skating Incident

by Adagal



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hospital Visit, Wholesome, based off true events-ish, gorillaz phase one, most of this is just ish stuff, roller skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-03-14 17:08:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18952381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adagal/pseuds/Adagal
Summary: Noodle wants to go to a roller rink and have some fun on one of the band's off days. With the others being out, Murdoc must be the one to take her. However, the little outing is cut short by a bit of a problem...





	1. Chapter 1

Noodle jumped up and down in her seat. After hours of insisting, she'd finally be able to go to a roller rink. Luckily, there was one not too far from Kong, meaning a quick drive there and back would be all it takes to make the girl's dreams come true.  


Murdoc groaned. Out of all the others, he had to be the one to take Noodle to the roller rink. He, Murdoc, who had never skated in his life, be it ice or roller, let alone go to a roller rink. He was gonna make a bloody fool of himself. Then again, it kinda had to be him anyway, as Russel and 2D were out at a mall for groceries, clothes, and other things (mostly just 2D browsing keyboards at the music shop though). 

"Try to calm yourself, eh love?" Murdoc said to the excited ten-year-old, still hopping in her seat. "You're starting to jostle the car, ok?" 

Noodle cocked her head to the side, as if slightly confused at the bass player's words, but stopped anyway. Nothing was going to stop her from having the time of her life at this point. 

After a few minutes, the car pulled into the carpark at the Funky Flow Roller Rink. Murdoc almost wanted to leave then and there upon glancing at the rink's cheesy name, but knowing it may upset Noodle, he tried to endure the suffering. However, the feeling only amplified as the two of them entered. Passing through the first set of double doors to the pay area, he could hear the music blaring in the main room. Noodle on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear. 

_Lucky her,_ Murdoc thought. _She's got her possibly noise-reducing helmet on._

"How many?" the lady at the ticket booth asked. 

"Two please!" Noodle cheered in as best English as she could. Despite still in a bit of a mood, Murdoc smiled a little to himself. Russel had been homeschooling her lately, and they had been making some good progress. 

The lady in the booth grinned and handed two tickets to Noodle as Murdoc paid. 

"These tickets double as admission and to get you rental skates," the lady explained. "Would you be liking to rent a locker as well?" 

"Nah, we're good here, thanks lady." Murdoc snatched his ticket from Noodle and almost pushed the two of them into the main area. 

If the music was already loud listening from the first set of double doors, here was worse. The music was so loud Murdoc considered going to a store and buying a pair of earmuffs. It may not have completely helped with the noise, but it would've done something. 

Meanwhile, Noodle looked completely beside herself with happiness, tugging on Murdoc's arm to head to the rental booth to get their skates.

"Alright! Alright!" the bass player groaned. "Ya don't need to pull my arm off, love. I know where we're going." 

Even then, Noodle was still practically tugging Murdoc all the way to the booth anyway. 

"Hello there!" the man at the rental booth got down off a ladder and greeted the two. Murdoc stared at his name tag, it read, "Mark". Would've been the most interesting thing he would've seen here anyway. 

"Can I see your guys' tickets?" Mark asked. 

Noodle and Murdoc both pulled out their tickets and showed the man. He looked at the small pieces of paper a few seconds, then took them from the two. 

"Alrighty then. Can I get shoe sizes?"

 _Crap. What was Noodle's shoe size again?_

"Eh, love," Murdoc whispered not-so-subtly to Noodle. "What's your shoe size?" 

"Uh, sir. Your shoe sizes?" Mark reapeated. 

"Well I know I'm a 10," Murdoc answered matter-of-factly. "The kid..." he looked down at Noodle, hoping she could finish his sentence. But she was at a mat nearby which had shoe sizes on the ground. She stepped on the different diagrams, then smiled and pointed to the one with the three. Murdoc almost sighed in relief. 

"The kid's a 3," Murdoc stated, turning back to Mark. He nodded, smiled, and went back to grab the skates.

Noodle wandered back to Murdoc's side, and the two of them waited for a few minutes until Mark had come back with two pairs of roller skates. "Here you are. Have a good time!" 

Murdoc gave a slight sneer, but grabbed the skates and went to an open bench to sit down. 

"Alright then love, how about we do your skates first?" Murdoc asked, hoping to stall a little time for himself. Noodle beamed, nodding her head rapidly and taking off her coat, revealing a Powerpuff Girls shirt underneath. 

Noodle sat down on the bench as Murdoc bent down to take off her shoes. First one, then the other. He grabbed the pair of skates and started to push one on. He saw Noodle's foot eagerly stretched out, then frowned slightly. 

"I can't put the skates on if you have your foot out like that. You gotta point your toe first. Like a ballerina," Murdoc tried explaining. When Noodle didn't seem to get it, he took her heel in one hand and rest of her foot in the other and pushed it down so Noodle's toes were pointing down, just like a ballerina. Noodle looked down at her foot, looked back at Murdoc, and smiled. 

Slightly smiling as well, Murdoc easily got the first skate on and tied the laces up. The second skate was a little tougher, he had to bend down low and push the skate against his stomach to get it on. 

Suddenly, Murdoc sharply inhaled, sat down on the bench next to Noodle, and closed his eyes. Noodle was confused to say the least. 

"Murdoc?" Noodle tapped Murdoc's shoulder. Was he just messing around? Knowing him, probably. 

"Murdoc?" Noodle repeated a few seconds later. She slightly shook the bass player now. Yet still no reply. At this point she wasn't sure if he was messing around, sound asleep for whatever reason, or maybe even dead. 

"Murdoc!" Noodle started shaking Murdoc a little more frantically now, tears starting to well up in her eyes. The man at the skating rentals booth noticed the girl's attempts to wake her friend, and came rushing over. 

"Kiddo, you ok?" the man asked. 

Noodle turned to look at the man, tears streaming down her face now. She looked traumatized. "Murdoc!" 

The man turned and ran to the booth, picking up the phone and dialing three simple numbers. 9-9-9.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

After putting the call in, Mark ran back to Noodle, who was on her knees now, slightly pushing down on the bass player's shoulders, crying loudly, as if the pressure would wake him up somehow. At this point now, the music had stopped, the lights were all on, and everyone was told to move out of the way for when the paramedics came. 

"Hey kiddo." Mark placed a hand on Noodle's shoulder. "We should probably keep off your caretaker so the doctors can make sure he's ok. Ok?" 

Even through the tears, Noodle seemed to understand. She gave a small hug to Murdoc, then stood off to the side.

It only took a minute before the paramedics came. They did a quick check up on Murdoc, then put him on a stretcher and carried him off. 

"Would you like to come with him?" one of the paramedics asked Noodle. She shook her head in response.

"Ok then. Don't worry, we'll make sure he's ok, alright?" 

And like that, they were gone. Noodle was shaking now, horrified for what may happen to Murdoc. 

"Why don't you come behind the counter with me?" Mark asked. "You can wait there while I phone your mom or someone else." 

Noodle turned around, but still kept her eyes fixed on the ambulance as it pulled away. When it disappeared, she followed Mark behind the counter, where he gave her a coloring book and some crayons. 

"Do you know any other family member's phone number, like your mom's?" Mark asked. 

Noodle paused and thought for a second. Then, she took off her helmet and fished out a small sheet of paper, and handed it to Mark. It read, "Home phone number" in neat handwriting, with the number at the bottom. Mark typed it into the phone and waited. There were three rings before someone picked up.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Meanwhile, at Kong Studios, 2D and Russel were putting down the stuff they got from the mall on a table. 2D had just brought in a small bag of clothes when the phone rang. 

"Were you expecting anyone Russ?" 2D asked. 

"Not that I can recall," Russel said, walking to the phone and picking it up. "Hello?" 

"Yes, hello, this is Mark from the Funky Flow roller rink. I'm calling about your daughter." 

Instantly, Russel's mind started racing. Quickly connecting the dots, he remembered Murdoc was going to take her to a roller rink today whilst he and 2D were out. "Oh no, what happened to her? What did she do?" Noodle was either in pain or was gonna be in trouble by the time Russel got to her. Murdoc too. 

"No, no, she didn't do anything. She's alright. It's about her caretaker who brought her, he was sent to the hospital earlier." 

Russel froze up, almost dropping the phone. 

"You ok Russ? Who's calling?" 2D wandered over to Russ' side, ever so curious and now slightly nervous about who was calling as, judging by the drummer's face, whatever he heard wasn't good. 

"When was he taken?" Russel asked. 

"About... half an hour ago. Your daughter's here behind the counter with me for when you can pick her up," Mark explained. "Is that all good?" 

"Yeah, absolutely. Would you mind giving the address?" 

"Definitely, sir. It's 3691 Elm Rd."

"Thank you, we'll be there soon." Russ hung up the phone, then took it back off and dialed another number. 

"Who're you calling now?" 2D asked. 

"Taxi," Russel replied, "Murdoc drove Noodle there, so we can take his car back. In the meantime, can you get the clothes to the laundry room?" 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

"Did he say what happened to Murdoc?" 2D asked. He and Russel were in a taxi now, heading for the roller rink. 

"No, but I don't think that matters right now. What matters now is getting Noodle," Russel said 

The cab then hit a sudden speed bump, bumping 2D's head on the roof and at the same time, making him motion-sick. 

"Try to hold out a little longer D, we're almost there." 

Russel turned to the taxi driver. "We're almost there, right?" The driver nodded. 

The cab turned a few more corners, and finally, they had arrived. 

"Hold on Noodle! We're coming!" 2D called, rushing out of the back seat, almost tripping over his long legs as he jumped out. Russel paid the driver, then ran to catch up with 2D, who was already at the front steps. 

When the two of them entered the first set of double doors, they could hear the loud music blasting in the rink. Very bass-boosted, very noisy. Made you wonder how half the people there weren't annoyed. 

"Hello there. Just the two of you I take it?" the lady at the booth said. 

"Oh, no, no," Russel replied. "We're just he-" 

"I dunno if Russ will, but I definitely will!" 2D grinned. Surprised and sort of angered, Russel turned to his friend. 

"2D, we're here to get Noodle. Not to play around. She just witnessed something awful happen to Murdoc, you think she'll want to roller skate after that? I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait." 

2D looked down at the ground in defeat, but his eyes still seemed to wander toward the people going in circles on the rink. _Soon, my love..._

Turning back to the lady, 2D solemnly stated, "Yeah, we're not really here to skate, we're here to pick someone up." 

The lady at the counter nodded and gestured toward the other pair of double doors, which the two boys walked through. They headed over to the rental skates counter, where they saw a man standing seemingly nervous, with a small girl behind the counter with him, lost in a coloring book. The man's name tag read, "Mark".

"Oh, hello there," Mark said. "May I see your tickets?" 

"Sorry, but we're not here for skating. We're here to pick up Noodle," 2D explained. "The girl behind there with ya." 

Mark tapped on Noodle's shoulder. "Kiddo, do you know these two?" 

Noodle looked up, and upon noticing her bandmates standing there, she jumped up and grinned, tears starting to well up again. 

"Toochi! Russel!" Noodle rushed out and gave both of them big hugs. 

"I believe that answers your question, sir," Russel said, as the ten-year-old showed 2D the drawings she colored.

Mark shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then, just wanted to check. Have a good day, and sorry about your friend, guys. The kid can keep the coloring book, too." 

"No problem," Russel replied, walking away with his bandmates. "And thanks."

Entering Murdoc's car to go home, 2D sat in the backseat with Noodle, still looking at the colorful pictures in her book. Russel got in the driver's seat, looked back, and smiled. Anything to keep Noodle's mind off Murdoc is good for now. The car then pulled out of the carpark, and away they went, back to Kong.


	2. Chapter 2

_That night..._

Noodle sat bolt upright in bed, heavily panting. Her second nightmare in a row of the incident. She was close to tears now, but not as close as last time. That could be considered progress, right?

She checked her clock. 4 am. It was midnight the last time. But 4 hours of sleep wasn't entirely bad, especially since Russel had her go to bed early that night. She didn't feel much of a need to sleep more now, so she decided to wander around the studio a bit, hopefully gain enough energy to sleep a little more, or maybe until one of the others wakes up.

Putting on her helmet, she wandered outside of her room, a Powerpuff Girls flashlight helping light her way down the dark, spooky corridors of Kong. She wandered around for a bit until she came to a stop in front of Russel's bedroom at the end of the hall.

Should she go inside? Probably not. Russel, as sweet and caring towards Noodle as he was, almost like a father figure she could say, didn't like to be disturbed when sleeping. And with Murdoc in the hospital, there was only one option left. 

Noodle stood at the top of the steps leading down to 2D's room. It wasn't that she didn't like 2D's room, she was down there the most often out of her bandmates' rooms whenever she had a bad night, it was just that his room was in the basement. And as everyone on the planet knows, basements are usually very scary. 

Gripping onto her flashlight, she slowly crept down the stairs, trying not to let her fear get to her. Just the sound of the creaky steps would be enough to make her jump in fear, but she kept her eyes in front of her, never taking them off the small keyboard sticker on 2D's door. 

Finally reaching the bottom of the steps, she walked over and knocked hesitantly on the door. "Toochi?" 

The door creaked open to reveal the familiar blue haired and voids-for-eyes singer, looking sleep-deprived as usual.

"You ok, love?" he asked. "Nightmare?" Noodle nodded. 2D opened the door wider to let Noodle in. It was usually either he or Russel who would do so in case the girl couldn't sleep, but most often it would be 2D. 

Noodle turned off her flashlight as she wandered in 2D's room, placing herself on the bed. "Sorry," she mumbled. 

"Nah, you're ok Noodle. I actually woke up a little earlier, couldn't really sleep a ton myself," 2D reassured. He walked back to his bed and sat down next to her.

"What was the nightmare about?" he asked the girl. A small pause came between the two until 2D spoke again. "Was it about Murdoc?" 

Noodle slowly nodded, taking her helmet off and placing it beside her. 

2D sighed, then gave Noodle a reassuring smile. "I know you're worried about him. We all are, even me, despite how nasty he can be at times. I mean, really nasty, you know?

"Tell ya what. After Russel wakes up and we have some food, how's about we go to the hospital? See if we can figure out what happened to Murdoc?" 

Noodle smiled and nodded happily in response. "Yes! Yes! Please!" 

2D chuckled. "A'wight then. But we'd have to make sure Russ is up to it as well, ok? He's the only one right now who can drive after all." 

"Yes, yes!" Noodle cheered. 2D shushed the child playfully, careful they don't wake Russel. This resulted in Noodle quieting down as per the singer's wish, then wrapping him in a big hug. 2D smiled and happily returned it. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

That morning, Russel went into the kitchen to find 2D and Noodle already up and making eggs and toast. That explained the burning smell. 

"Morning, Russ!" 2D called. 

"Morning, Russ!" Noodle echoed.

Russel smiled in response, and went to get his breakfast. 2D scraped off a bit of eggs on a plate, and Noodle picked up a piece of partially burnt toast. Russel took the plate and sat down, 2D and Noodle soon following. 

"Noodle and I were talking last night, and we wanted to know if we could go to the hospital today. You know, check on Murdoc, see what happened to him," 2D said. "You think we could?" 

Russel paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess it really depends on what the hospital says, with how Murdoc's doing and all. But sure, we could go today." 

Noodle's face lit up. She was so happy she almost choked on her eggs. 2D gave a nervous chuckle. 

Later that day, the three bandmates were in the car, heading up to Broomsfield Hospital. Noodle leaned on 2D, who was in the backseat with her. She was still kind of tired from last night, but tried not to let it get to her. A few corners later, she sat up and looked out her window to see the big, looming building rising above them as the car pulled in. Upon feeling pressure on her shoulder, she whipped around to see 2D there, just giving her a reassuring pat. She relaxed a little, then went back to looking out the window.

"We're here," Russel said. 2D and Noodle slipped out of the car, following Russel into the large building before them.

Upon entering the building, Noodle started getting nervous all over again from the large rooms and corridors that were there. She quickly walked over and grabbed onto Russel's hand. Russ looked down at the frightened child, and gave a reassuring squeeze on her hand. 

The three of them walked down until they found the main check-in office, where a man sat in front of a computer, a tall desk shielding Noodle's view of him. When they walked up, the man took notice. 

"Hello there, do you need anything?" he asked.

"Hello, we'd like to see Murdoc Niccals if we're able to," Russel said. 

The man at the desk clicked a few times on his computer. "Murdoc Niccals, right? Yes, he's currently resting, so you should be able to see him in a bit. You close friends of his?" 

"You could say that, yes," 2D said. 

Russel looked down at Noodle and smiled. Noodle grinned right back. At least Murdoc still seemed to be alive and well.

A few more seconds passed, then the man at the desk pointed to a few seats in the waiting area. "The doctor should be here shortly to take you to Mr. Niccals' room. Just have a seat please."

The three friends wandered to the waiting area and sat down. Russel pulled out Noodle's coloring book from yesterday and gave it to her with a small pack of crayons. Noodle smiled and delved into the book once more, 2D watching over the girl's shoulder. 

Russel nudged Noodle's shoulder. "Come on, we're going to see Murdoc now." Noodle quickly closed the coloring book and stood up and walked toward the female doctor, with 2D following behind her. 

"Hi, I'm Dr. Hengles," the doctor said. "You three are here to see Mr. Niccals, yes? Right this way." 

The gang then followed Dr. Hengles down the hallway to Murdoc's room. 

"Uh ma'am, would you know what happened to Murdoc?" 2D asked along the way. 

"Oh, yes," the doctor replied. "He seemed to pop a muscle in his back, causing him to pass out. A little surgery later, and he should be back on his feet in a day or two. He may want to go to some physical therapy for a little bit however."

As Dr. Hengles finished explaining, they then stopped at Room 622. "Here we are."

She knocked on the door then slowly opened it, revealing the bass player in a hospital bed, supposedly asleep. 

"Mr. Niccals?" Dr. Hengles whispered. "You have guests here to see you." 

At her words, Murdoc slowly rose out of bed, his hospital gown visible now. "Eh? What?" He rubbed his eyes with one hand, staring at the people in front of him for a good five seconds before practically shouting, "OH! YOU LOT!" with Dr. Hengles quickly shushing him. 

"Hey Murdoc!" 2D said. The others waved hello. Murdoc smirked and rolled his eyes. 

"I'll leave you all be," the doctor whispered, slinking out of the room. 

"How've you been Muds?" Russel asked. 

Murdoc groaned. "Back's in quite a bit of pain. Been better to be honest. What about you lot?" 

Noodle trembled a little. Her voice and legs shaking, she walked up to Murdoc and whispered, "I'm sorry." Then she flopped down on his bed, her head resting on his lower legs. 

Murdoc seemed somewhat surprised. "What are you sorry for, kiddo? It's alright. It wasn't your fault, it's ok."

Russel moved closer to the shaky child. "Noodle? What do you mean?" 

"It's not the kid's fault, Russ," Murdoc butted in, "I had to bend down a little lower than expected to put on her skate, and according to the doctors, that's when the muscle popped and I collapsed for a moment." 

Russel nodded. 2D walked up closer as well. "At least you're ok now, and will be even better once you go to physical therapy." 

"WHAT?" Murdoc yelled. 2D jumped back, almost cowering behind Russel. Noodle ran and gladly joined him. 

"NO WAY! NUH UH! No physical therapy for me!" Murdoc seemed as though he'd jump out of bed and strangle the singer at any moment. 

"Murdoc, Dr. Hengles says it'll help you and your back," Russel explained. "And if she's the one saying that, you better believe it'll help you greatly." 

Still seething with anger, Murdoc brought his hands up to his head and started tugging on his hair a little. After a few seconds of that, he seemed to calm down, at the very least, back to his normal demeanor.

"Alright then. At least I don't have to do it just yet, eh?" 

Everyone chuckled. 

A few minutes later passed, with the gang just talking about everyday stuff. For a moment, everything seemed to be normal for them once more. Then again, nothing for the band really could be considered normal. Eventually, Dr. Hengles walked in saying visiting hours were over and Murdoc had to get another check-up. They all said their goodbyes, and Noodle, Russel, and 2D had left the hospital. 

"See, Noodle?" Russel said, walking back to the car. "Murdoc's alright. He'll be ok, ok? Sooner or later, he'll be back at Kong with us again." 

Noodle smiled. Maybe Murdoc wasn't his best now, but he would be soon. And she was happy about that. And before she knew it, she was sitting in the backseat of the car with 2D again, heading back to Kong.

_Get well soon, Murdoc..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Hope y'all enjoyed this little two-parter of a fanfic! If so, don't be afraid to let me know. Also tell me if you want me to do another one of these, I could prolly come up with something. ^^  
> one last thing too, would y'all want me to make one last "aftermath" part to this? like, the gang goes out for a rollerskating night or something?


	3. Epilouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick disclaimer, this part may have some cute fun stuff regarding both Murdoc and 2D, but I'm asking of you to please not see it as 2Doc. If you ship it, I'm ok with that, I promise, but it's not supposed to be in this story, hence the tags. I personally see it as more of a friend thing. So just again, please don't see Murdoc and 2D's interactions here as 2Doc. Thank you, and enjoy the story ^^
> 
> Also happy belated birthday Murdoc!!  
> 

_A few months later..._

The Geep rolled along the highway, with Murdoc in it once more. Once again, he was being dragged along to the roller rink, this time with Russel at the wheel.

In the backseat, 2D was going almost insane from how happy he was. He hardly got to roller skate, but he always found it so much fun. Noodle was happy too. Despite the problem that occurred last time, she was ready to try again.

At long last, the gang pulled into the carpark once more, at the Funky Flow Roller Rink. 2D and Noodle were beside themselves. Russel looked happy, and Murdoc was, well, Murdoc.

Pushing past the first set of double doors, the music could be heard blasting inside once more within the main rink. This time, Murdoc came prepared and put on a pair of black fuzzy earmuffs. They didn't do much, but they did something, and that was all that mattered.

"Welcome back! Feeling better I assume?" Murdoc turned, and saw the same lady at the counter from last time. Did she ever leave this place? 

"Uh, yeah," Murdoc said. 

The lady smiled and clapped. "How many today?" she asked.

"Four!" Noodle cheered, jumping up and down. The lady gave Noodle the four tickets as Murdoc paid once more. The child passed two of the given tickets to Russel and 2D, both of them pleased by the offer. 

"Alrighty then," the lady grinned. "Remember, those tickets double as admission and to get you rental skates. Have fun!"

"Well she's very nice," 2D said. He was bouncing with each step he took, eager to get on the rink. He was probably more excited than Noodle to be honest. 

When they all got to the rental skates desk, Murdoc noticed there was someone else other than Mark there. To be honest, that was probably for the better. 

This time, a lady was at the rental skates counter. She had her hair dyed purple at the ends, and red nail polish. Despite the angsty teenage look, she seemed pretty happy to be there.

"Hello there," she said. "Can I see your tickets?" 

One by one, the four friends showed the girl their ticket, she took a quick glance then smirked. 

"Alrighty then. And shoe sizes?" 

Murdoc pointed to himself and Noodle. "I'm a 10 and the kid's a 3." Russel and 2D tacked on their sizes as well. Afterwards, the girl nodded and headed back to get the skates.

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, the girl finally came back with 2D and Murdoc's skates, then went back once more. Some more awkwardness later, everyone had their skates. 

Not to risk Murdoc hurting his back again, this time Russel was the one to help Noodle with her skates. Noodle, luckily, managed to pull them on her feet on her own. Russel only had to help tie them. A few minutes later, and they were all ready.

Upon first getting up, Murdoc instantly fell back down. And each time he tried getting back up, his skates wouldn't let him, and made him fall back down. He couldn't even get two feet off the ground without his feet moving away from him. 

"Need any help?" 2D asked. Murdoc looked up and saw 2D standing up perfectly. He probably had help though. 

"No," was all Murdoc said. 

2D just shrugged and rolled to the main rink. "Suit yourself." 

After a few minutes of trying to stand, Murdoc gave up and pulled himself up to the nearest bench, where he sat for the next 15 minutes. Afterwards, he saw Noodle and Russel roll up to him. 

"You doing alright Muds?" Russel asked. Murdoc nodded in response. 

Noodle rolled up closer, holding out her hands. She had a look on her face that Murdoc could read as, _Join me! Let's go! Please?_

Unfortunately, Murdoc managed to deny the child's offer and shook his head. "I can't do it," he muttered. 

Noodle sighed, now unhappy, and went back to the rink with Russel. 

A few more minutes passed, and who does Murdoc see again but 2D. It seemed ironic really, how the man who couldn't walk five feet in front of him without tripping over his own untied laces could skate so well. 2D was practically the definition of 'no balance'. But alas, here he was now, in front of Murdoc, asking if he wanted to skate with him. 

"Attention guests." Murdoc and 2D looked up to see a man in a high up, closed off DJ booth speaking into a mic. "We are now doing a duo skate. So pair up and hit the rink together!" 

2D turned back to Murdoc. "Well? I can't really go alone now." 

Murdoc sighed and agreed. Anything to keep Faceache away later on.

As Murdoc stood up, he felt 2D's arms lodged under his to help with his balance. Once he felt he could stay upright without any trouble, he slapped at 2D's hands, sending them away. 

"Alrighty then. Just know I'm right here if you need to balance," 2D nervously smiled.

With tentative steps, 2D slowly led Murdoc out to the rink. Murdoc had his arms stretched out for balance and his knees almost buckled together. 

"Try starting with marching," 2D explained. "It's pretty self-explanatory. Just little steps on your skates like you're marching." 

Murdoc rolled his eyes. "If it's self-explanatory, they why are you explaining it to me?"

"Oh! Sorry!" Surprisingly, Murdoc seemed to be heeding the blue-haired man's words as he took small steps alongside him all the way to the rink.

"You also may not want to have your knees like that, unless you wanna keep falling," 2D said. "Just relax them, I can help you if you want." 

Murdoc made a throaty growling sound. 2D chuckled nervously and put his hands up. "Alright, alright." 

It seemed to continue like this for the next few minutes of the duo skate. 2D was gliding alongside the flailing and falling Murdoc. A few minutes later, and it was back to an all skate. Murdoc snatched 2D's hand, sending the signal he wanted to go. 2D complied and took Murdoc off the rink. 

"Where...did you learn...to skate...so...well..." Murdoc stuttered. 

2D shrugged. "My mum and dad took me skating a lot as a kid, so I picked up a few things. Seems funny right, given how clumsy I can normally be?"

Murdoc nodded, smiling a little. He thought about how many times 2D probably tripped over himself, which made him laugh a bunch. 2D frowned.

"Well if you're going to be like that-

Murdoc instantly shot 2D a glare. That shut the blue-haired boy up. 

2D sighed. "Looks like Russel and Noodle are having fun. I think I'll join em. You can come too if you want."

And with that, 2D headed back to the rink, leaving Murdoc alone on the bench. 

Murdoc looked out to see his bandmates on the rink. 2D was having the time of his pathetic life, and Russel was holding Noodle's hands, helping the girl not trip over herself. Noodle looked super happy to be there, it was her dream for a few months after all. To be honest, Murdoc kinda wanted a piece of that pie too. But he couldn't, he had already made his decision. And he wasn't very sure if he wanted his back to handle that.

"Attention attention! We will now be doing a guys only skate! Any girls may get off the rink!" 

Murdoc saw the dejected Noodle glide off the rink with Russ in tow. 2D didn't seem to pay it any mind though, as he was still skating happily. 

_Eh, why not try it? Live it up while you can? Noodle and Russ won't even be here._

Murdoc couldn't disagree with that mentality, so he gave it another go. Slowly getting up, he held his arms out and kept his knees bent once more for balance, then marched all the way to the edge of the rink, where he then grasped onto the nearby wall like it was his last hope.

"Oh, hey Murdoc." 2D stopped in his tracks and grabbed onto the wall with Murdoc. "You decided to come back?" 

Murdoc shot the singer a look that read, _Don't you even start._ 2D luckily got the memo and backed off from prodding.

"If you need any help, I'm right here," 2D said, skating away from the bassist to go around the rink once more. 

The next few minutes of Murdoc's life were spent struggling to get even halfway around the rink while 2D was basically lapping him, constantly asking if Murdoc needed any help, to which Murdoc always replied with his same murderous glare. 

The next time 2D came around asking if he could help Murdoc, the bassist quickly snatched the singer's hand. 2D looked extremely shocked, which made a bit of sense. 

"You... want me to..." 

"Dont. Say. A word." 

Slowly, 2D nodded and took Murdoc with him along the rink's outer circle. In all honesty, it was sorta fun for Murdoc not having to fear for his own safety with 2D pretty much just dragging him along for the ride. In a few seconds, Murdoc started marching alongside the gliding singer, which seemed to make it more fun. 

By the time the two of them came off the rink, it was starting to get late and Noodle was starting to get tired. Russ took off the sleepy child's skates, returned them to the girl at the booth, and picked up Noodle as she drifted away on Russel's shoulder. Reluctantly, 2D gave away his skates and Murdoc did so happily, eager to be free from his tame torture. 

By the time they had all arrived back at Kong Studios, it was even later and time for Noodle to go to bed. Each of the guys took turns tucking Noodle in, and tonight it was Murdoc's turn. Russel helped get Noodle ready for bed, so by the time Murdoc walked in, Noodle was already in bed.

"Hey Noodle," Murdoc whispered. "How was today. Fun, eh?" Noodle smiled. She started to ramble in a mix of Japanese and English about her day and how much she enjoyed the roller rink. After a few minutes of her story, she asked Murdoc, "What about you?" 

Murdoc's heart almost stopped. _What the hell do I say?_

"Well love, uh, it was definitely an experience I'll never forget. I'm glad you let me come with you and Russ and 2D." 

Noodle beamed. "Sing?" 

Murdoc shook his head. "Sorry, no song tonight, love." 

Noodle frowned, but set herself beneath her covers anyway. 

"Good night Murdoc." 

Murdoc planted a little kiss on her cheek and slowly closed her door. 

"Good night Noodle. See you tomorrow."


End file.
